Local museum representatives ask county for parking, landscaping and project support; board outlines funding lines

Representatives from local museums used the meeting’s public-comment period to request project funding and to report on recent repairs and grants.

Stoppern, representing the Macala Museum, asked the board for support to add parking on the museum’s southwest side, to create handicap spaces and to fund landscaping around the museum and a nearby high-school sign. “We’re also asking for… cement rather than rocks because most of the people that get around the sign aren’t young and walking on rocks is really problematic,” Stoppern said, explaining why concrete would better accommodate older visitors.

Bill Hunam of the Ashton Museum thanked the board for prior help with flooring and exterior work, described plans to replace a back-door sill and possibly repair underlying sill stringers, and said the museum is pursuing grants to remove dangerous ash trees and replace them with several species. Hunam said the city has helped in past parking projects and requested continued county support for museum maintenance.

Museum representatives also reported program growth and community engagement: increased attendance, school reunions and plans for a 50th-anniversary program at one museum. One speaker noted the county will receive a donated historic snowmobile that was used as a rescue vehicle in 1967; the board accepted the donation enthusiastically.

Board members clarified that museum grants are typically paid from different line items: some from the hotel/motel tax fund and others from non-departmental allocations, and confirmed prior-year distributions of $5,000 to several museums. The board asked staff to ensure the correct line items and to follow up on specific requests once cost estimates are provided.

The public-comment period concluded with members thanking museum volunteers and noting plans to follow up on funding and logistics.